Legal Action Against X for Firing Employee Critical of Musk’s Policy

Highlights

1. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed a case against X (formerly known as Twitter) for illegally firing an employee who criticized its return-to-office policy after the Elon Musk takeover.

2. Elon Musk, after purchasing X, implemented changes including layoffs and urging employees to return to the office, with the threat of termination for non-compliance.

3. Yao Yue, a principal software engineer at X, spoke out against the return-to-office policy, encouraging colleagues not to resign and instead let X fire them.

4. The NLRB has filed a complaint stating that X violated the National Labor Relations Act by firing Yue and interfering with employees’ rights. The NLRB is seeking compensation for Yue and other appropriate relief.

## NLRB Files Case Against X (Formerly Twitter) for Illegally Firing Employee

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has taken legal action against X (previously known as Twitter) for wrongfully terminating an employee. CNBC reports that the official complaint accuses the company of firing the employee due to their criticism of X’s return-to-office policy following the Elon Musk acquisition last year.

## X Faces Lawsuit for Firing Employee Who Criticized In-Office Work Policy

Elon Musk completed his $44 billion purchase of X (then called Twitter) in October 2022 and wasted no time implementing changes. Musk laid off numerous employees to cut costs and urged the remaining staff to work overtime in order to reshape the social networking app according to his vision. He also insisted that all employees who were working remotely return to the office as soon as possible and threatened to terminate those who did not comply. The NLRB reported that Musk told employees, “If you can physically make it to an office and you don’t show up, resignation accepted.” Understandably, many workers expressed dissatisfaction with this abrupt shift in work policy. The official complaint reveals that employees voiced “concern and outrage” over Musk’s directive to return to the office immediately.

## Employee Yao Yue Speaks Up Against the Policy

Yao Yue, a principal software engineer at X with 12 years of experience, publicly opposed the new policy. Shortly after Musk’s ultimatum, Yue tweeted, “Don’t resign, let him fire you. You gain literally nothing out of resignation.” Yue also shared the same message on one of the company’s official Slack channels, urging her colleagues to not quit and instead let X fire them. Many of her co-workers responded to her call.

## X Fires Yue Without Specifying Policy Violation

Meanwhile, Musk instructed the management team to monitor Slack and other online platforms to identify employees who should be terminated. Five days later, X fired Yue, claiming that she had violated a company policy without specifying which one. The NLRB stated that “Ms. Yue alleges that Twitter chose her for layoff in retaliation for her attempt to organize her co-workers not to resign, so they would have better legal footing to challenge any separation from Twitter.”

## X Breached the National Labor Relations Act

In the complaint filed on Friday, the NLRB argued that X violated the National Labor Relations Act by firing Yue. The Board added that the company has been “interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed” under national labor law. The NLRB seeks to compensate Yao Yue for any financial harm caused by X’s actions and is requesting other appropriate remedies for the labor law violations. A hearing for the case is scheduled for January 30, 2024, in San Francisco.